Cohen's phone rings all day with people begging to be a part of this relief effort. Her project, which has grown largely due to Facebook, started with local companies offering her free shipping to Sandy victims.

"At that point, I was helping two or three people, and I wanted to help more," she said.

Facebook helped her get in contact with private companies that wanted to join the effort. Ryan Leeds, owner of Prime Cigar & Wine Bar in Boca, got Superior Moving & Storage to donate a 53-foot truck for a trip to Staten Island. Within a day and half, that truck was filled with supplies, and a second truck was brought in for a trip to Long Island.

"It's really a bunch of strangers coming together to form this amazing team," Cohen said.

Cohen and Leeds call the project, "Operation Dig Deep," encouraging people to dig deep emotionally and financially to give to people in New York and New Jersey who are suffering.

Like many residents of South Florida, Cohen lived in the Northeast, and still has family there without power. Although her family is safe, stories of families with children freezing in the aftermath of Sandy moved her.

"One family told me they sleep every night with seven blankets, four sweatshirts, five pairs of socks and the dogs in the bed to keep warm. While we're in 75 degree weather, the sun is shining and we're riding with the windows down," she said. "I just can't pick up and leave, so this is how I wanted to help."

Leeds also has family in Staten Island, and was eager to help with the project because of the unique weather circumstances in the Northeast.

"We live in South Florida— we've dealt with hurricanes. It's a major inconvenience when the power's out, it's a major inconveinence waiting on gas lines, and dealing with the anxiety of a hurricane, but one thing we don't have is freezing weather," he said.

He recalls hearing a story of 42 people huddling in a living room "like penguins" to keep in body heat, this inspired him to reach out to responders in Northeast to secure drop-off locations. The items donated for the Long Island truck will be taken to the Long Beach Recreation Center in Long Island, where the National Guard will help distribute them to people in need.

After hearing that some will be without power for six to eight weeks, Leeds knows that road to recovery will be long and says he will do his best to keep sending trucks up North.

"This is not going to be a sprint, this is going to be a marathon," he said.

Julia Hart, a retired Palm Beach County school administrator in Boca, read about the donation-drive on Facebook and went to CVS and bought $50 worth of supplies, mostly diapers and water.

Hart doesn't have any family in the Northeast, but felt the need to donate.

"That's just what we do, we all need to do our part," she said. "If we don't, we all lose out."